Should You Buy A 4K TV? Why And Why Not

Last updated May 13, 2014

Share

4K TV sets are changing the way we view entertainment. They are making movies, sports and other content more vivid, more realistic. But because of the price tags of these sets and the fact that 4K content is still limited, it’s a pertinent question that whether or not you should buy one.

Why you should buy 4K TV set:
There are many arguments in favor of buying a 4K TV set. The prices of these sets started off exorbitantly high but as their sales ramp up, the price tags are coming down. Today, you can buy a 55-inch 4K TV for $2300, which is considerably lower than the prices when 4K TV sets arrived.

Not only that, a number of content creators are beginning to attend to the 4K wave. Netflix has released the season 2 of ‘House of Cards‘ in 4K while the upcoming Brazil World Cup 2014 is expected to be broadcast in 4K by many vendors. Sony is already offering movies in 4K and Japan is gearing up to expand the 4K broadcasts. The problem with other alternatives, such as a 1080p TV sets, is that they are sure to become outdated soon as the resolution of the content increases.

So there is essentially no doubt that the future of entertainment is 4K video. And to be able to truly enjoy such high-res video, you will need a 4K TV set. However, there are certain arguments given against such a purchase, which are listed below.

Why you shouldn’t buy 4K TV set:
One of the key problems with 4K content is that it requires huge bandwidth to stream seamlessly to your supported TV set. Typically, it requires a 15Mbps to 20 Mbps internet connection to get a quality stream of 4K content. But even that may prove insufficient if your internet connection is tied up to multiple devices, all consuming the bandwidth. Ultimately, it may require internet speeds of up to 50Mbps or more to get a steady, uninterrupted 4K video streaming.

Not only that, currently a very limited amount of content is available in 4K. Many developments are underfoot to change that and many companies are gearing up their infrastructure to start offering 4K movies, sports and other broadcasts. However, it will be quite some time, possibly more than a year, before a decent amount of 4K content is available to the users.

So why splurge the money of a 4K TV set just yet? Why not go for simply a high-resolution screen, with a significantly lower price tag. In time, when a sufficient amount of 4K content is here, you can finally chip in for a 4K TV set. By then, the prices of these 4K sets would have fallen further and you will get a better bargain. So it is better to wait and see the tide before making a rash, and expensive, purchase.

Verdict:
At the end of the day, it is the way you use your TV set that matters the most. Do you intend to watch movies on the TV set all day long? Or are you a sports buff who catches up on all major sports events? You also have to see which of this content is available in 4K quality. If there is a good amount of the content you watch, available in 4K quality, you can purchase a 4K TV set and get good value out of it. However, if the content you usually watch on your TV is mostly not scaled for 4K quality yet, it is better to stick with a rather inexpensive set for the time being.